Something in her words has me curious about aspects of her life which are really none of my business. I’m just nosey.
“My brother doesn’t believe women should just be silent sentinels while the men are the ones who really sit at the table,” she tells me.
“What’s going on with you?” I can’t help but ask. She’s been different the last few weeks, but she’s still shown up for everyone she cares about.
“Nothing,” she waves her hand dismissively like my question is one to be brushed away easily. It’s not going to work. When all I do is stare back at her, she lets out a long-suffering sigh. “Really, it’s nothing. I’m fine.”
I don’t believe her, but I also see the hard set of her jaw. She’s not budging on this one. And I have to respect it.
When she stands up, she grabs something out of my closet and puts the clothes on my lap. “This, the jeans you have on, and your boots. I don’t know where he’s taking you, but you should be prepared.”
“I don’t know either,” I tell her softly and wait, again, for the fear to come. But it doesn’t. Again.
“This way you’ll be prepared for whatever.” She points to the clothes, and I get up and move toward my bathroom.
When I walk back into the room, Opal is already nodding with a big grin on her face. I look down at what she chose for me, I do a double take. Clearly, I wasn’t paying attention to what I was putting on. I was just glad to not have to make the decision.
I’m wearing a soft t-shirt with a reader tarot card printed on it and a flannel left unbuttoned. It’s something I would pick out. Especially for riding on the back of his bike.
That’s the part I’m most nervous about.
As if she can read my mind, Opal gets up and grips my shoulders lightly. “You’re going to be fine. My brother will not allow anything to happen to you. You don’t have to believe it for it to still be true.” She pauses and smiles knowingly. “Just think, this is the first night in a long line of nights involving him finding a way past your defenses.”
My mouth falls open, but no words come out. I don’t even know where to begin. She points to the look on my face and starts to giggle.
“It’s okay. Give him the chance to show you who he is,” her eyes implore me to cautiously leap.
I bite my lower lip and start to nod, but I barely do it once before there’s a knock on my door and I freeze in place. My body completely locks up. Even though I know I should go out there and answer the door, I can’t.
Opal grabs my wrist and tugs me along until we’re both standing in the doorway. Turner’s eyes find Opal the moment the door is open, and his face falls into a scowl tinged with confusion. Then his gray eyes lift and find me.
I don’t know what it is about looking into this man’s eyes, but it’s an experience. One which has me, dangerously, forgetting the past. That is something I can’t do.
Not when it would put others in danger.
“Hi Angel,” Turner drawls and steps closer to me.
The heat coming off him makes me want to curl up in his lap with a mug of steaming tea and a good book. No blanket needed when we’re talking about a human furnace.
“Hi, Turner,” I murmur his name while very aware of the way Opal is looking back and forth between us like she’s watching two ping pong masters duke it out on the big stage.
The smile on my man’s face when I call him by his name is nothing short of gorgeous. I’ve seen the man with all sorts of looks on his face in a short amount of time. And the smile he’s giving me right now is at the top of my list.
When I look him over again, I notice a helmet dangling from his elbow and something else in his hands. “I needed you to be safe,” he tells me by way of explanation.
Then he’s holding up a gorgeous leather jacket that looks brand new. I slip my arms inside the arm holes, turning while he slides the jacket into place. It fits me like it was made to be molded to my body.
“You look gorgeous,” Turner rumbles before kissing a spot behind my ear which has my knees going weak before I get myself under control.
Opal claps, her voice filled with laughter, “Well, I think that’s my cue. You two have fun tonight.” As she starts to walk away, she yells back over her shoulder, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
With her departure, we’re alone. And I have no idea what to do with my hands.
CHAPTER 10
SNAKE
My sister’s words echo around us, but my eyes are fixed on my woman and she’s all I can see. Hell, she’s all I want to see. The leather jacket I just slipped into place fits her perfectly, like it was made for her.